BATON ROUGE -- LSU's Tyrann Mathieu has been living up to expectations.

The true freshman cornerback from St. Augustine immediately made an impression on the coaches during fall camp. Coach Les Miles and defensive coordinator John Chavis gushed over Mathieu in the weeks leading up to the season and made comparisons to All-American Patrick Peterson.

"In the five days that he's been here, I think he's caught everybody's eye, " Chavis said last month. "He's a guy that we expect to grow and a guy that we expect probably to play some as a freshman. Certainly he is very talented."

It's safe to say LSU fans won't be forgetting him anytime soon either after his performance against West Virginia on Saturday night.

Mathieu had a hand in two turnovers in the first half. With West Virginia facing third-and-10 on its 12-yard line, Mathieu scooped up a fumble forced by defensive tackle Drake Nevis and returned it to the 7.

LSU got its first touchdown four plays later on a 1-yard run by tailback Stevan Ridley.

Mathieu also intercepted West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith's pass on the second play of the second quarter. The turnover led to a field goal.

STRIKE A POSE: Peterson had the Heisman Trophy on his mind.

Peterson struck the iconic pose in the end zone after returning a punt 60 yards for a touchdown and drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. With the return, Peterson became the second Tiger with two punts returned for a touchdown in a season. Skyler Green did it in 2003.

Peterson also had the first blocked field goal of his career early in the first quarter.

Peterson isn't the only one thinking Heisman. ESPN has put him on its Heisman watch list, and his name has been popping up in Heisman talks this season.

If he were to win the award, he would be the first defensive player to win since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997. Woodson also played occasionally at wide receiver and returned punts.

During his Heisman winning season, Woodson returned 36 punts for 301 yards and one touchdown. Peterson has 253 punt return yards and 167 kickoff return yards on the season.

Peterson, however, didn't return kicks after the gesture and received a lecture from Miles on the sideline. Rueben Randle replaced him as the punt returner.

PENALTIES: LSU was flagged six times for 55 yards in the first quarter.

The Tigers drew more yards in penalties in the first half than they did the entire game against North Carolina. LSU had 65 yards in penalties against the Tar Heels.

Left tackle Joseph Barksdale was penalized two times in a row on one drive. A holding penalty two plays later wiped out a 22-yard gain.

HORNETS AT GAME: Two members of the New Orleans Hornets administration took in their first game at Tiger Stadium.

General Manager Dell Demps and assistant general manager Tim Connolly were in attendance. The team opens training camp Tuesday.

BOO BIRDS BACK: Quarterback Jordan Jefferson's biggest support of the night might have been when he chose to throw the ball away instead of taking a sack.

LSU fans cheered at that moment, but they didn't cheer about much else while the Tigers were on offense. Jefferson got sporadically booed through the night. A third quarter interception in particular drew the ire of the fans. The Mountaineers' Eain Smith returned the pick 32 yards to set up their second touchdown.

Quarterback Jarrett Lee took over for Jefferson late in the fourth quarter and got a warm reception from the crowd.

When Jefferson replaced Lee for the last drive, he again was booed.

HONORED: LSU recognized the 1970 team before the game. The squad went 9-3 and won the SEC.